The Lincoln Gap Wind Farm is a wind farm in the vicinity of Lincoln Gap on northeastern Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, Australia. It consists of 59 wind turbines and generates a total of 212 MW of electricity.[2] Construction began in late 2017 and was initially expected to be commissioned in late 2018.[3] Construction was delayed in July 2018 when unexploded ordnance was discovered on the site, left from historic military testing.[4] The site is not far from the Cultana Training Area.
| Lincoln Gap Wind Farm | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | Australia |
| Location | 15 km west of Port Augusta on the Eyre Highway at Lincoln Gap, Eyre Peninsula, South Australia |
| Coordinates | 32°37′08″S 137°34′48″E / 32.619°S 137.580°E |
| Status | Under construction |
| Construction began | 2017 |
| Commission date | Expected mid-2019 |
| Construction cost | A$300M (stage 1)[1] A$170M (stage 2) |
| Owner | Nexif Energy Australia |
| Wind farm | |
| Type | Onshore |
| Hub height | 110 metres (361 ft) |
| Rotor diameter | 136 metres (446 ft) 140 metres (459 ft) |
| Rated wind speed |
|
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | |
| Make and model | Senvion 3.6M140 EBC Vestas V136 |
| Units planned | 42 × 6 MW |
| Nameplate capacity | 212 MW |
| Capacity factor | 43% |
| Annual net output | 800 GW·h |
| Storage capacity | 10 MW·h |
| External links | |
| Website | lincolngapwindfarm |
Following Senvion's European parent company commencing insolvency proceedings, Vestas was engaged to provide maintenance services for the 126 MW first stage, and the 24 3.6 MW turbines for the second stage.[5] The 212 MW wind farm reached full generation capacity in late April 2022.[6]
Construction and commissioning
editThe wind farm was constructed by Senvion in two stages.[7] The first stage was 35 turbines.[8][9] In December 2018, it was expected to be operational by July 2019. Stage Two for the final 24 turbines received financial approval from Nexif Energy in December 2018. A 10 MW / 10 MW·h battery was expected to be completed in May 2019 by Fluence, with a proposal to later upgrade it to 30 MW.[2] The output is contracted to retailer ERM Power.[10] Some of the towers and turbines were erected using a tower crane similar to what is used to construct high-rise buildings.[11]
The wind farm substation was connected to the national electricity grid on 25 February 2019. The energy storage battery was expected to be installed by the end of May 2019, with wind turbines commissioned from August 2019.[12] The first turbine exported electricity to the grid in the last few days of April 2019.[13]
It was reported in October 2020 that construction of Stage 2 had begun, at a cost of A$170m.[14] It was completed and reached full operation (without the battery) in late April 2022.[6]
References
edit- ^ "SA wind-storage project wins $150m CEFC debt funding". ecogeneration. 13 November 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ a b "About the project". Lincoln Gap Wind Farm. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ Balsamo, Marco (13 November 2017). "Lincoln Gap Wind Farm ready for construction". The Transcontinental. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ Morton, Adam (20 July 2018). "Life after coal: the South Australian city leading the way". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
- ^ Mazengarb, Michael (3 March 2020). "Vestas steps in to maintain Lincoln Gap turbines after Senvion troubles". RenewEconomy. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ a b Parkinson, Giles (26 April 2022). "Huge Lincoln Gap wind farm now fully operational, but not the battery". Renew Economy. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- ^ "Australia | Senvion Australia". www.senvion.com. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- ^ "Lincoln Gap (Australia) - Wind farms - Online access - The Wind Power". www.thewindpower.net. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
- ^ "Gearbox Exchange - Wind & Renewables - Vestas". MAX Cranes. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
- ^ Vorrath, Sophie (10 December 2018). "Nexif hits go on final 86MW of Lincoln Gap Wind Farm, with close of CEFC debt deal". Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ "Project Update" (PDF). Nexif Energy. July 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- ^ Parkinson, Giles (25 February 2019). "Life after coal: Lincoln Gap wind farm powers up, battery to be installed soon". Renew Economy. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ Parkinson, Giles (29 April 2019). "Lincoln Gap wind farm delivers first power to grid as it deals with Senvion issues". RenewEconomy. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ Hartmann, Imogen (12 October 2020). "Massive SA renewable energy projects kick off". Energy Magazine. Archived from the original on 22 November 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.